The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-16
THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.

Senator Sherman delivered his opening
speech in the Ohio campaign, yesterday, at
Wilmington. and we print some interesting
extracts. Senator Sherman never talks with
out having something to say, and as one OF the
honored leaders of the Republican party he IS
always heard with interest. Few men in the
position he now occupies would discuss the
current political issues of the day as freely
and fully as he does. Senator Sherman is an
avowed presidential candidate, neither his
friends nor himself making any concealment
Of the fact. Generally, presidential candi-
dates are very reticent and non-committal,
avoiding speech making above all things, as
full of danger Mr.. Sherman does
not seem to have this feel
ing. He seems quite willing to do
his share of talking, and no one will deny
that he expresses himself with freedom and
frankness on all subjects. This is character
istic OF him. His whole political career has
been marked by those qualities. His speech
yesterday dealt in this spirit with various
questions of State and national politics. Some
of these, pertaining to the campaign in Ohio,
are of less interest outside that State, while
others are of national concern. Whenever or
wherever he speaks, Mr.. Sherman takes pride
in declaring his unfaltering devotion to the
ideas that distinguish the Republican party
from the Democratic, and especially to those
on which the war for the Union was fought
and won. Nobody can make him ignore
the facts of history nor prevent him
from telling the truth by crying
'bloody shirt" In his view the rebellion was
a great crime, the men who engaged in 1T
were rebels, and the cause for which they coll
tended was an odious one. This was true
twenty-five years ago and it is equally true
to-day, as Mr.. Sherman does not hesitate to
say when occasion requires. The cry of
.bloody shirt" does not scare him bit. He
says:
"It was a bloody shirt. It is a shameless
record. The fight fight for slavery, the re-
bellion and its fearful losses, the course OF the
copperheads in the North, the riots in New
York city, the Knights of the Golden Circle
in Indiana, the fearful crimes OF the hu-hiux
Klans, the cheating General Grant out of the
vote in New York in 1868, the Mississippi
plan, the Solid South, one million of legal
voters deprived of their franchise wherever
their votes would count, the election of
Cleveland-it was bloody shirt"
Mr. Sherman is right. The bloody shirt is
on the Democratic party and it will stick like
the shirt of Nessus But this merely a
side issue in his speech yesterday. Of nation
al topics, he gave most attention to the differ
ent positions of the Republican and Demo
cratic parties relative to the construction of
the Constitution the former favoring broad
construction and large exercise of power
and the latter constituting it strictly, like an
Indictment" This idea was amplifed in a
very interesting manner, and from it was
deduced the power aud duty of the govern
ment to protect and develop American indus
tries, concerning which Mr.. Sherman repeat
ed his firm conviction, "that the prosperity
of our country has been largely induced by
protective tariff, and it's continued prosperity
depends largely upon the maintenance of
the same policy" Two or three times in his
speech Mr. Sherman turned aside to pay a
high personal tribute to the character and
ability of Governor Foraker, showing there is
no i'll feeling between them among the
Republicans Of Ohio.